


Pinky and the Popsicle

by StarfireXL



Series: Pinky and the Popsicle (Gratsu Fic Collection) [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Baby Natsu x Baby Gray, Back When They Were Kids, M/M, but of course natsu knocks some sense into him, gray's seen too much to have hope, kinda angsty, kinda floofy, natsu has hope, who am I kidding really floofy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 01:12:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18377897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarfireXL/pseuds/StarfireXL
Summary: I have face planted into the Gratsu fandom. I was just wandering through Fairy Tail, minding my own business and then Gratsu appeared like one of those hidden hole traps and I just...fell right in. And now I'm stuck down here and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die down here, but do I care? Nope! I'm gonna die happy : ).I might make this one-shot into a multi-chapter fic if that's what the people want. I have LOTS of ideas and I just think Gray and Natsu going dragon searching together would make such an adorable story. So tell me what you think of this and lemme know if you guys think I should turn this into a series!





	Pinky and the Popsicle

**Author's Note:**

> I have face planted into the Gratsu fandom. I was just wandering through Fairy Tail, minding my own business and then Gratsu appeared like one of those hidden hole traps and I just...fell right in. And now I'm stuck down here and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die down here, but do I care? Nope! I'm gonna die happy : ). 
> 
> I might make this one-shot into a multi-chapter fic if that's what the people want. I have LOTS of ideas and I just think Gray and Natsu going dragon searching together would make such an adorable story. So tell me what you think of this and lemme know if you guys think I should turn this into a series!

“...I’m telling ya, Igneel could fly super duper high!” Natsu exclaimed. He waved his hands around excitedly, flapping his arms in an attempt to look like he was flying. His eyes were bright with wonder as he animatedly described his life with Igneel to an enraptured audience. Cana and Lisanna were round-eyed and captivated, Erza was looking at him in amusement, her eyes softening a fraction of a degree. Only Mira rolled her eyes and scoffed, but even she didn’t want to miss a single detail. Natsu continued boisterously, “He always let me ride on his back and he taught me to fight and read and write and-”

 

“You’re lying.”

 

Natsu immediately tensed, arms mid flap, before he slowly lowered them, his jaw clenching at the accusation. He whirled around, olive green eyes narrowed dangerously. He already knew who had interrupted his story. And sure enough there he was, smug with one dark eyebrow raised. Gray Fullbuster, the ice make wizard…

 

...who was already half naked. Of course.

 

“I’m telling the truth, Gray!” Natsu growled, stomping his foot. But deep inside, a twinge of self-doubt pricked him. He’d never admit it, but sometimes, Natsu wondered if Igneel  _ had  _ been a figment of his imagination. “I  _ was  _ raised by a dragon and he is-”

 

“Completely made up?” Gray added slyly, tugging on his silver necklace, “Yeah, I thought so.”

 

“I NEVER SAID THAT YOU PERVERT!” Flames licked Natsu’s fingers as his anger grew. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off of Gray’s face.

 

“Yeah, but we’re all thinking it.” 

 

That was the last straw. Natsu lunged forward at a blinding speed, slamming his fist into the ice mage’s jaw. Gray’s eyes widened as he landed flat on his back, all the breath knocked out of him. But he swiftly recovered, kicking Natsu’s legs out from under him so the pink haired boy face planted onto the wooden floor. The two quickly dissolved into a bare knuckled brawl, rolling over and over again, neither one letting up, yelling out every insult that came to mind.

 

“Flame Brain!”

 

“Snowflake!”

 

“Chili Pepper!”

 

“Ice Princess!”

 

“Pinky!”

 

“Popsicle!”

 

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Erza roared, red haired braid flying as she wrenched the two apart. They turned on her as one, fists up to retaliate, but one look at her blazing brown eyes had them clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. Which it did.

 

“How many times do I have to  _ beat it _ into you?! No fighting in the guild hall!” Erza sternly reprimanded, one hand on her sword hilt threateningly. The two boys were trembling like leaves against a fierce wind as she yelled at them. Natsu’s arms tightened around Gray as he vigorously nodded his head. 

 

“Aye, sir! I mean ma’am! I mean sir!” Natsu gulped as Erza loomed over them.

 

“Shut up ash-for-brains!” Gray hissed through clenched teeth, “You’re making it worse!”

 

“At least I have clothes on,  _ pervert _ !” Natsu hissed back. He could feel Gray stiffening, dark eyes wide in indignation.

 

“Well at least my hair doesn’t look like fricking cotton candy!” Gray’s fingers grasped at Natsu’s head, tugging harshly at his messy pink locks.

 

“What does that have to do with anything?!” Natsu shot back, grabbing a clump of spiky raven hair. “At least I’m not a fricking porcupine!”

 

For a moment, as they glared into each other’s eyes, daring the other to make a move, they completely forgot Erza was standing just a foot away from them. That was a  _ big  _ mistake. 

 

Cana and Lisanna broke off into “ouch”s and “that’s gotta hurt”s as Erza completely thrashed the two boys, punching their stomachs and knocking their heads together. At the end of it, they collapsed in a tangled heap of scrawny limbs and long legs, both groaning as they nursed the bruises on their faces. Erza smirked, satisfied with her hard work, before slinging them onto her shoulders. She easily hauled the two light weights out of the guild and dumped them onto the street. 

 

They blinked up at her with dazed expressions as she put her hands on her hips. “Listen up, you two! I’m sick and tired of your antics! You’re not gonna be allowed in the guild hall ‘till you can suck it up and stop your stupid fights!” That quickly brought them back to reality. Erza could barely conceal her laugh when they both gave her identical appalled expressions. 

 

“But Erza that’s impossible!” Natsu whined, gesturing frantically towards Gray, “How am I **not** supposed to make fun of  _ that _ ? Just look at him!”

 

“How ‘bout you look at my fist!” Gray yelled back, getting ready to throw a punch.

 

“Don’t you dare…” Erza growled softly, causing Gray to smile sheepishly before hiding his hands behind his back. Erza leaned in dangerously close, narrowed eyes boring into the boys and sending a chill down their spines. “I’m gonna be watching you two, if I see you fighting even once, I’m going to beat your brains out, got it!”

 

“Yes ma’am,” they chorused before scrambling to their feet and running away from her as fast as their legs could carry them.

 

✦ ✦ ✦

 

“Man,” Gray panted once they reached the tranquil safety of the forest, “What’s her problem?!” He rested his hands firmly on his knees as he caught his breath. “Can’t she just mind her own business?”

 

“Yeah, I know right, she’s so annoying!” Natsu agreed, wiping sweat from his face before collapsing at the foot of a tree.

 

“Don’t let her catch you saying that,” Gray whispered, eyes darting around the clearing fearfully, “You never know when she’s listening...”

 

There was a moment of quiet. Gray and Natsu held their breath, fully expecting a raging Erza to come flying at them from the shadows. The silence was shattered by an obnoxious rumbling sound, causing Natsu to flush as pink as his hair. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hehe, guess I’m hungry.”

 

“Of course you are,” Gray rolled his eyes, but the comment lacked its usual venom. 

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Natsu replied, pouting, but even his words weren’t as scathing as before.

 

“Nothing,” Gray responded cooly, ignoring the rush of affection blossoming in his chest at Natsu’s adorable pout. He maintained his composure, flashing an amused smirk at the fire mage instead, “I’m just not surprised.”

 

Gray’s eyes flitted along the emerald green treetops for a moment before he raced away, quickly swallowed by the dense forest.

 

“Hey, where are ya goin’?” Natsu called out. He grumbled to himself for a second before heaving himself up and running after the raven haired boy. Gray shot a glance over his shoulder, slowing down enough for Natsu to catch up, then speeding up again once the fire mage was on his heels. After a few minutes of hard running, Gray stopped abruptly at the edge of a clearing, Natsu crashing right into him. The pair yelped as they tumbled onto the grass, rolling to a stop at the foot of a tree.

 

Groaning, as a new bump sprouted on his head, Natsu sat up, blinking his eyes to get the world to stop spinning. A muffled shout sounded from underneath him.

 

“Get off me, Pinky!” Gray grunted, finding it hard to breathe with Natsu’s weight on top of him. He shoved the other boy to emphasize his point.

 

“I’m going, I’m going…” Natsu muttered, rolling off of Gray, “Where are we anyway, Ice Cube?”

 

“Food,” Gray replied curtly, ignoring the question. Brushing dust off of his pants, he surveyed the trees. Choosing one, he scurried up the old mossy trunk before disappearing into the leafy canopy. Natsu waited, feeling kind of stupid standing there staring at a tree, before his ears picked up a soft rustling sound. Gray scampered down the tree trunk like a squirrel, bright red apples nestled in his arms. Natsu hesitated, Gray had been gone for a suspiciously long time. He peered at the fruit closely, sniffing tentatively. They  _ looked  _ alright, crimson and juicy and ripe, but still…

 

Gray rolled his eyes for the billionth time, letting out an exasperated sigh. “They’re not poisoned, Pinky, I got ‘em from this tree.” When Natsu gave him a dubious look, he added, “I couldn’t find any right away, they were all higher up. Guess the Vulcans took all the easy-to-reach ones.” Natsu nodded as his stomach growled again, that was all the convincing he needed. He literally dove for Gray’s hand. The other boy yelped as Natsu devoured an apple in one bite, nearly taking off the ice mage’s fingers in the process.

 

“Hey! Watch it!” Gray snapped, his hand recoiling, “I need that hand for my magic!”

 

“Don’t be silly,” Natsu scoffed, mouth still full, “You’re skilled, I bet you’d do just fine with one hand.”

 

Gray froze at that. His jaw dropped and he had to shake his head slightly to make sure he actually heard Natsu correctly. “W-was that...a  _ compliment _ ?”

 

“No!” Natsu blushed at his slip up as he fumbled for words, but the dazzling grin that spread across Gray’s face made his mind go blank. Huh….he actually  _ didn’t  _ hate Gray right now. But the moment was fleeting. Like the moon eclipsing the sun, he suddenly remembered what Gray had said to him earlier that same day. The pink haired boy’s eyes flashed, hard as granite, as he shoved Gray into a tree. “It wasn’t a compliment. I’d never compliment someone like you!” But before he could dramatically storm out of the clearing like a total boss, Gray grabbed his hand. Natsu vaguely noticed how cold Gray’s fingers were, like literal popsicles, and for a heartbeat, he wanted to just stand there and warm up his rival’s icy hands.

 

“Why not?” Gray’s voice washed over him, as refreshing as a cool breeze. It brought him back to the present. Back to his anger.

 

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re a jerk! I don’t know why I waste my time with you when I should be looking for Igneel!” Natsu wrenched his hand from Gray’s and stumbled out of the clearing, cursing as low hanging branches whipped his face. Gray just stood there, processing the answer he’d been given. 

 

“I’m sorry, Natsu…” he murmured. But the trees were the only ones to hear his apology.

 

✦ ✦ ✦

 

“Stupid Gray, stupid Erza,” Natsu muttered, flinging another stone into the river half-heartedly. He was perched precariously on a boulder at the river’s edge, but he felt so hopeless, he wouldn’t have minded if he just fell in and drowned. He had never felt so alone. “Where are you, Igneel?” His question was lost to the wind.

 

“You really think he’s out there, don’tcha?” Natsu was jerked from his thoughts by an all too familiar voice. He glared at Gray as he scrambled up the slick boulder and plopped down next to the fire wizard. But before Natsu could tell the ice mage to go away, Gray looked at him straight in the eye. There was something...dark in Gray’s eyes. Something sad and lost and fractured. Something that was once bursting with light, but had gone out like a flickering candle. Natsu couldn’t exactly identify it. But in his defense, Natsu was having a hard time focusing on anything other than the fact that Gray’s eyes were the deepest blue he’d ever seen. 

 

“Like...do you really,  _ truly  _ believe he’s waiting for you?”

 

“Who’s waiting for me?” Natsu asked absentmindedly, still focused on those eyes that seemed to shift between a million different shades of indigo.

 

“ _ Igneel _ , you idiot!” Gray fought the urge to smile at Natsu’s blank expression, his eyes blinking owlishly while his hair stuck up in puffs around his face.

 

“O-oh...yeah…” Natsu stuttered, struggling to escape the depths of Gray’s blue-black eyes. Conviction filled his voice as he shook off the strange feeling in his chest, “Yeah I  _ know  _ he is!” 

 

Gray seemed to deflate at that. He refused to look at Natsu, instead wrapping his arms around his knees, pale shoulders curving inward as if to hide himself. Or...maybe to protect himself.

 

“How do you have so much faith?” Natsu stared at him, perplexed, but Gray didn’t seem to notice his confusion. “How can you go after him? Didn’t he abandon you? How can you think he still wants you?”

 

“I--” Natsu trailed off, realizing he didn’t have an answer. “I...I just know. At least I hope he does.”

 

Gray let out a bitter laugh as cold as his magic, “Hope isn’t good enough, Natsu. Hope is _never_ good enough. I _hoped_ I’d see my mom and dad again. I _hoped_ Ur would somehow come back. Every night I’d look up at the stars and I’d _hope._ Look how well that turned out…” Natsu fiddled uncomfortably with his scarf, turning Gray’s words around in his head. He didn’t know what to make of the situation. Gray had never been so open with him before, with _anyone_ in the guild, actually. Why was he saying this now?

 

“I only called you a liar to get it through your thick skull,” Gray continued, staring right at him, but his gaze was so far away, as if he was looking at something in the distant past. “It’s not worth it to hope. It’s better to just accept that they’re gone.”  _ They’re, not he’s _ , Natsu noted,  _ He’s not talking about Igneel _ . But if that was true, who  _ was  _ Gray talking about? Was he trying to convince Natsu...or himself?

 

“No!” Natsu spat suddenly, the silence becoming overbearing. Gray flinched at his outburst, “I  _ don’t _ accept it! I’ll never accept it!” Natsu’s eyes blazed with certainty as he took in Gray’s defeated posture. “And you shouldn’t either.”

 

Gray looked up at that, miserable blue eyes piercing and questioning. 

 

“If you just  _ accept _ that they’re gone then of course they are!” Natsu insisted reaching out to put a hand on Gray’s bare shoulder. The ice wizard’s pale skin was expectedly cool to the touch. Natsu dug his fingers in, wanting to share his own warmth. “But if you  _ hope _ that you’ll find them, maybe you will. I think it’s better to have a tiny chance that they’re out there than to give up and make them 100% gone.”

 

Gray couldn’t help but snort at the awkward phrasing, “‘Make them 100% gone?’”

 

“You know what I mean!”

 

“Yeah...I guess I do.” The raven haired wizard eyed Natsu thoughtfully, “Huh...I guess you do have a few brain cells. Awwww man, I owe Lisanna a hundred jewel.”

 

“Hey!” 

 

“So, what’s the plan?” Gray shifted to face Natsu, a determined gleam in his stormy blue eyes.

 

“The-the plan?” Natsu spluttered, still hung up on the fact that Gray had thought he didn’t have brain cells.

 

“Yeah, doofus, how are we going to find Igneel?” 

 

“ _ WE?! _ ” The fire mage’s eyes bulged with surprise. Was Gray offering to help? But why?

 

“Yeah I mean, you’re probably going to get yourself killed before you can find him if no one’s got your back,” Gray shrugged nonchalantly, “Guess it’s up to me to make sure you don’t screw it up and die before finding your dragon.”

 

At this point, Natsu would have thrown a punch or an insult into the ice wizard’s face, but this time...he just tossed his head back and laughed. Maybe it was because of the weird, warm feeling in Natsu’s chest when he saw the other boy’s eyes finally filled with hope, or because of the smile that plastered itself on Gray’s face or maybe it was the fact that Gray was probably right. 

 

“Alright, Popsicle,” Natsu grinned toothily, slinging an arm around Gray’s shoulders,  “Let’s do this!”

 

✦ ✦ ✦

 

Unbeknownst to both boys, as they laughed their heads off, a certain armored redhead was watching them, just as she promised. Her usually hard brown eyes were soft as chocolate as she gazed at the two fondly. She watched as they punched each other playfully and pursed her lips to hide a smile when Gray pushed Natsu into the river. But she couldn’t restrain a soft snicker when Natsu leaped out and grabbed Gray, dragging him into the water as well.

 

“Finally,” she murmured as her two boys splashed each other aggressively, “I can have some peace and quiet.” She winced as Gray said something which caused Natsu to roar with laughter. “...More or less...”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at my Tumblr: @starfirexl! <3


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